Central College offers Colleges services in Pella Iowa, IA area.
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Mission
Located in Pella, a picturesque Iowa town of Dutch heritage and architecture, Central???s liberal arts program is characterized by its commitment to rigorous academic achievement, civic engagement, cultural enrichment, environmental stewardship and global perspectives. Central???s core curriculum builds on the development of communication skills and first-year experience by striving to make students active learners and bridge builders between themselves and others. A new core curriculum includes 1) an interdisciplinary liberal arts capstone seminar; 2) a disciplinary studies sequence to provide breadth; 3) a global perspective experience; 4) a global sustainability component, and 5) writing intensive courses spread across four years. Committed to international education, Central is a nationally recognized leader in study abroad, and nearly half of Central's students study abroad at one of eight international sites in Austria, China, England, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain and Wales. Central is dedicated to service and community-based learning. Nearly 30 campus-based courses have service-learning components, 200-250 students each semester engage in course-based service-learning with up to 70 community partners, and all of Central???s study-abroad programs have service-learning options for students. Central has been recognized repeatedly in the President???s Honor Roll of Distinguished Service-Learning Programs. From renovations, to new construction, to recycling, Central is committed to advancing a holistic and integrated worldview of sustainability by developing a greener campus. The newly constructed Roe Center, housing education, psychology, communications, community-based learning, and the Center for Global Sustainability Education, opened in August 2009 and recently received the state???s first platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the US Green Building. In 2003, the Vermeer Science Center was recognized as the first building in Iowa to achieve a silver LEED rating, and Howard McKee Hall was the first residential building in the state to receive a gold LEED rating. Sustainability efforts extend across campus from dining services (organic foods) to student-led recycling efforts. The newly created Center for Global Sustainability Education serves as a resource center and community sustainability partner which works in conjunction with the community-based learning program. Approximately 30 percent of the campus population is involved in the fine arts. Students can sing or play in one of 18 ensembles ranging from classical to jazz to pop. Music ensembles have toured Italy, Paris, British Columbia, London and New York; Central features the only undergraduate glass blowing studio in the state of Iowa; the Mills Gallery showcases art exhibitions throughout the year. Theatre programs involve students in every facet of stage production with an intense schedule of three or four major productions annually. The Geisler Library Writers Reading Series includes visits from nationally known authors reading from their fiction and non-fiction works. Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Humanities Iowa, recent guests have included Marilynn Robinson, Ted Kooser, Carol Bly, Jane Hirshfield, Richard Powers, and Patricia Hampl. Approximately 50 percent of all undergraduates participate in Central???s NCAA Division III program. Athletics are integral to the college???s overall mission in which development of the whole person is essential. Central student-athletes have received ESPN Academic All-American distinction 46 times and won NCAA Postgraduate scholarships 20 times. Central???s Kuyper Athletics Complex is one of the top collegiate facilities in the region, having been chosen to host more NCAA championship events in more sports than any other Iowa college.
General Information
Highly Selective, Small School, Other Religious Affiliation, Small Town, Co-Ed, Graduate Students - Low, Any Cost, Reader Service for the Blind, Handicapped Student Services, Note taking Services, Study Abroad, Advanced Placement/CLEP, Campus Publications, Dormitories, Foreign Student Organizations, Honor Student Organizations, Minority Student Organizations, Radio/TV Station, Religious Organizations, Social Fraternities and Sororities, Student Government, Student/Faculty Ratio - Low
Campus Description
133-acre campus in Pella, 45 miles southeast of Des Moines. Served by bus; major airport serves Des Moines; train serves Ottumwa (45 miles).
Other Admission Requirements
GED accepted, SAT/ACT tests NOT required, Financial statement NOT required, Pre-application form NOT required
School Type
Private not-for-profit (religious affiliation), 4-year or above
